Back in the 1950s, it was unheard of for a woman to be acting on TV on her own. She usually played the part of a wife and a mother, or at least had a male co-star. That is, of course, until Lucille Ball.
Lucille Ball was one of the first women to act on her own in a series. Just her, no husband, no man, not even as a co-star. She could pull off the show all by herself.
More Important Than a Paycheck
I Love Lucy was so important to Lucille and Desi that they were always trying to find new ways to make it better. They decided they wanted the show to be produced and filmed with better materials (e.g. more expensive celluloid film, etc.)
When they talked to producers about receiving a higher budget for this, the producers refused. So, Lucille and Desi decided to take a cut from their own salaries to make it happen. Afterward, she made a deal to ensure she and Desi had ownership rights to whatever was produced.
The Salem Witchcraft Trials
According to a report on NPR (National Public Radio), the adorable Lucille was apparently a descendant from the witches connected to the trials. The Salem Witch Trials were a sequence of trials and prosecution of people that were charged with doing witchcraft, from 1692 to 1963. The trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts, and out of the more than 200 people accused, 19 of them were convicted and hanged.
The report claimed that many American icons were related to the witches, including Clara Barton, Walt Disney, and, effectively, Lucille Ball.
Ball and Desi Lied About Their Ages
Back in the 1950s, it was not common, and even frowned upon, for a woman to be older than her husband.
Lucille was actually six years older than Arnaz, but after they got married, they decided the smartest thing to do was to lie to the press about it, to avoid any issues or controversies. So, they officially listed their birth dates as 1914.
A Real-Life Pregnancy Got More Viewers Than A Presidential Inauguration
Lucille was one of the first women to ever portray a real-life pregnancy on TV, and it was a sensation both on-screen and in real life. Actually, Lucille gave birth only 12 hours before her onscreen counterpart gave birth on the TV show!
The episode raked in a record-breaking audience of 44 million viewers, surpassing even Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration into the presidency, which brought 29 million.